Kota Kinabalu: The mother of Zara Qairina Mahathir told the Coroner’s Court that she was shocked when she received a 4.37am phone call informing her that her daughter had been found “berampai” (lying on the floor) before being taken to hospital.
Noraidah Lamat, 46, said the call from Ustaz Rezany on July 16, 2025 caused her to panic and cry, leaving her at a loss over Zara’s condition and how to get to Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).
“I waited until daylight. Then I gathered the courage to go to Queen Elizabeth Hospital on my own without anyone accompanying me. It was raining at the time,” she said.
Noraidah said she arrived at the hospital at about 9am and met hostel warden Norasimah outside the emergency ward, adding that she was unable to clearly understand or hear the explanation about Zara’s condition as she was in a state of panic.
She said she was later informed that Zara had been sedated and was dependent on a ventilator, while her brain had been deprived of oxygen for more than two hours and suffered severe damage, adding that she was also told Zara had fallen from the third floor of the hostel, all students had gone to sleep at 11pm and there were no eyewitnesses to the incident.
